


No Smoke Without Fire

by Katia_Anyway



Category: One Piece
Genre: And Sabo loves it, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Kissing, M/M, One Piece: Stampede, Post Stampede, Sabo might be a bit of a stalker in this one, Smoker caring more about people than about orders, Stampede fucked me up, working together
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-03
Updated: 2020-05-03
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:00:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,893
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23984959
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Katia_Anyway/pseuds/Katia_Anyway
Summary: After the events of Stampede, Smoker and Sabo keep running into each other and Smoker is starting to like the blond, even though he's a criminal.OrI impulse wrote this to exorcise myself of my feelings for Sabo and Smoker after Stampede. Please enjoy it anyway.
Relationships: Sabo/Smoker (One Piece)
Kudos: 30





	No Smoke Without Fire

Smoker was flying over the city, trying to find any civilian that might have been left behind in the evacuation. The orders from the HQ were only to arrest the pirates invading the island but Smoker ordered his soldiers to evacuate the civilians first. The pirates’ captain had a tendency to cause earthquakes when he slammed his giant axe on the ground and a fight with him might endanger the town’s inhabitants.

After a last tour of the city, Smoker decided it was time to fight the pirates. He just wanted to call Tashigi first; she was on the coast, taking charge of the evacuation. He wanted to ask her if it was over. 

He was about to take out his Den Den Mushi when he noticed a boat with red sails on the coast, and it was not the pirates’ ship. Suddenly, a fireball set off the ship’s deck and flew toward him.

Not him again, Smoker thought.   
This was Sabo, the revolutionary army’s number two.   
They met during the Bullet Disaster, when they teamed up with Mugiwara, Trafalgar and Shichibukai Boa to defeat Bullet and stop the Buster Call.  
Before leaving, Sabo came to talk to him, telling him he liked teaming up with him and that he would love to do it again if they met again.   
After that, they wouldn’t stop running into each other. And teaming up. Because somehow, Sabo always found a way to snake himself into Smoker’s fights. 

The fireball stopped in front of Smoker and half turned into a man. Smoker noticed he wasn’t wearing a vest today, only a blue dress shirt. He looked almost naked like that.

“Fancy seeing you here, Smoker-san.” Sabo smiled.

“You’re late, Revolutionist. The civilians have already been evacuated.” Smoker grunted. He still didn’t know what to call Sabo other than that. He didn’t know the guy’s last name and there was no way in hell he was calling him by his first name to his face.

“I saw. You and Tashigi-san are doing a great job.”

“Don’t be so familiar with her! It’s Captain Tashigi to you.”

Sabo laughed. “Come on! Koala is currently helping her. I think they’re friends.”

“Tashigi would never be friends with a member of the revolutionary army.” Smoker grunted, teeth gritting. It wasn’t as true as he wished it was. 

During the last few months, Smoker and Tashigi had gotten to know Sabo and Koala. They knew they could trust the revolutionists to help protect civilians and be fair in their actions. They didn’t try to arrest the duo on sight anymore, which didn’t sit very well with the hierarchy. But Smoker shouldered all the blame and, because he was known for only doing what he wanted, nothing really bad happened. Still, being associated with criminals didn’t sit quite well with him.

“So, what do we have here?” Sabo asked.

“Pirate nobodies. Here to pillage the island. They already destroyed the town’s food reserve and are feasting in the forest. Not much of a threat except for their captain: a half giant with an axe that cracks the ground and provokes earthquakes.” Smoker answered.

“Okay, how do we do that?”

“You’re not coming.” Smoker affirmed.

Sabo gave him a look and Smoker knew Sabo wouldn’t listen to him. This was his ‘Oh, I am so coming and you can’t stop me’ look. This truce of their was getting out of hands if Smoker started understanding Sabo based on looks.

“You’ll have to be careful with your fire, can’t have you burning the forest. I say we surprise them, I capture them all in my smoke and you get their captain by hitting him upside the head with your staff.”

“I don’t have my staff.” Smoker looked at him questioningly. “I lost it in a fight earlier today. Same for my vest. But I can use my claws to grab him around the neck and subdue him.”

“So that’s why you’re under-dressed...” Smoker mumbled under his breath.

Sabo apparently heard him because he smirked. “Didn’t know we had a dress code, you should have warned me.”

Smoker glared, trying to hide his embarrassment. He hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

“Do whatever you want. But I warn you, I want him alive.” Sabo nodded.

Smoker looked over the forest. It was big enough that they couldn’t see the half giant in it. But they could see the smoke coming from the campfire the pirates had made. He guided Sabo so they could land near it.

When the time came to land, though, Smoker realized that Sabo couldn’t use his power to lower himself to the ground; if he did, he might set something on fire. And if he just let himself fall, he might hurt himself.

Smoker grabbed Sabo by the arm. “Turn off your fire.”

“What?” Sabo started, eyes wide.

“I will help you down.”

“Okay...” Sabo came closer and put his arms around Smoker’s shoulders. “Don’t let go.” He said, before turning off his fire.

Immediately, Smoker got an armful of handsome blond man. Welp… Maybe he hadn’t thought this through. This was… Nice… But distracting. What was he doing with his hands again? He wasn’t sure. He was pretty sure this position was not at all appropriate for a Marine and a member of the revolutionary army, though. How was he supposed to explain this if someone saw them like that? He would so be court martialed.

Focus, dude! Smoker chastised himself.

He lowered them slowly, avoiding branches and trying to be quiet. When they touched the ground, Smoker moved his arms to let Sabo go. The blond man grimaced and hissed in pain. Smoker felt his stomach turn in worry.

“Are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

“No…” Sabo said, taking a few steps back. “It’s not you.”

“Show me.” Smoker demanded. If Sabo was hurt, he wanted to help.

“Now? Shouldn’t we apprehend the pirates first?”

“You won’t be much help in a fight if you are hurt. Show me.” 

Sabo sighed. He turned around and stripped off his shirt.

“It’s nothing. Just a big bruise. Koala already put balm on it.”

On Sabo’s back, Smoker found a big bruise indeed. The skin was purple almost from one shoulder to the other and the injury even went halfway down his back.

“What the fuck did that? Was it during your fight earlier?”

“Yeah...” Sabo lowered his voice, like he didn’t want to tell Smoker about it. “We had a run in with marines. We fought them and one of them surprised me and hit me with a big nunchaku covered in Kairouseki. But it’s okay. We lost them and it’s already healing.”

Right. Smoker was being hit with the realization that Sabo was a wanted criminal. It was literally the marines’ job to capture him. It was Smoker’s job too. He shouldn’t care that the Revolutionary Army helps people and takes care of injustices that the World Government disregarded.   
With how used he had gotten to Sabo and Koala, he had started to judge them based on their actions rather than their bounties. He had even started doing the same for other people too, pirates and marines for example.   
And maybe he liked his new way of judging people more, maybe he thought it fairer…

Smoker sighed. There wasn’t much he could do to help with this wound. Maybe he could put some more balm on it and bandage it but he didn’t have the supply to do that here and doing that on the boat in front of Tashigi, Koala and their soldiers was a big no.

Smoker took a few steps back to indicate that he was done with inspecting the bruise. “Are you sure you can fight?” He asked as Sabo turned around and got dressed. He couldn’t stop himself from noticing Sabo’s nice chest.

“Of course.” Sabo said, rolling his eyes. “So, are we doing this or not?”

The fight with the pirates was quick and straightforward. Before Smoker knew it, all the pirates were arrested and escorted back to the marine’s boat. They then let the civilians go back to their peaceful life and were thanked by many of them for their help.

When Sabo and Koala left, Smoker quietly ordered the man to be careful. He stopped himself short of asking him to call him in case he ever needed help. That sounded a bit too forward. They weren’t that close, were they?

\----------------------------------------------------

The next time they met, Smoker was on a mission to protect the royal family of a small country in Calm Belt. According to the HQ, a rebel movement was causing ruckus and threatening the country’s whole power structure. But from what he saw himself, this was a classic case of people in power exploiting the poors in order to get richer and richer themselves, leaving the poors to fight for scraps.

Sabo and Koala were there when everything went to chaos. Koala was with Betty, encouraging the people to fight and get their food back. Sabo had infiltrated the palace and probably intended a coup against the king. Smoker was there, waiting for him when he arrived.

“Smoker-san.” Sabo suddenly stopped. “I was hoping it wouldn’t be you.”

Smoker lifted an eyebrow in inquiry. Sabo shrugged. “With our powers, this fight will never end.”

“I have no intention of stopping you, Sabo.”

Sabo frowned.

“I saw what’s happening here. I think this is the right thing to do.” Smoker explained. “Those people need to eat and you are helping them.”

Sabo approached, cautious, as if he wasn’t sure if this was a trap or not but was hopeful. Smoker threw his weapon away to show his good will and Sabo came even closer.

“What will you tell your superiors?”

Smoker shrugged. “I didn’t see you, you outsmarted me and got to the king without me noticing.”

“Ain’t you scared I might hurt the king?”

Smoker shrugged again. “I trust you. You’re always fair in your actions.”

Something passed in Sabo’s eyes. Then, he asked: “Can I kiss you?”

“What!?” Smoker wasn’t exactly against it but… “Is it really the right time?” 

“I’ve learned you don’t push what you want to do for later because their might not be a later.”

Smoker thought about it. Sabo was right. Maybe this was the right time to give him his number, too. They were close enough if they were kissing, weren’t they?

Smoker nodded and immediately, Sabo skipped excitedly the last step into Smoker’s arms. It was the second time Smoker got to hold Sabo and it was just as disorienting as the first. But it wasn’t as much as feeling Sabo’s lips on his. He felt his head spin. He didn’t even know if he responded. God, he must be a terrible kisser.

When the kiss ended, Sabo took a step back and smiled that quirky smile of his. 

“Well, I’ll have to get going, Officer. And for next time, I like hearing you call me Sabo.”

With that, the blond man winked at him and ran away.

Smoker was turning red tomato. When did he call him Sabo?

It was only a few hours later, as Tashigi and him left the Island, that Smoker realized that he had completely forgotten to give Sabo his number.

Well, maybe next time.


End file.
